[SOLVED] Watercooling help? Custom Build

[Adam Georgeson]

Hi,

A couple months ago I purchased about £600 ish worth of watercooling parts (Corsair HydroX) from OCUK in hopes I could start my first Watercool build. Ultimately, I failed miserbly..

In the end it was a faulty pump, but I gave up and put everything back together and shoved all the old watercooling parts under my bed.

I now want to give this another go, but am a bit lost again. If anyone could spare some time and help me with my below questions? I just want to get a better understanding (And feel free to completely shut me down and tell me off if I have made any assumptions or mistakes below)

1. My case is: Phanteks 719 (Luke 2/Enthoo 2), I just bought it a few weeks ago. This is my current build (Forgive the one fan that is white as one of my black ones were faulty when moving cases).

https://imgur.com/DpD9fZP

View: https://imgur.com/DpD9fZP


2. The current working (as far as I'm aware) kit I have is:

Corsair Hydro X Series XR5 360mm
Corsair Hydro X Series XD5 RGB Reservoir / Pump Combo

I have lost all the fittings and tubing.

I do have the Hydro X CPU block (intel) but I have lost the backplate.

So basically I am wanting some suggestions on what to get:

- For the CPU Block I am thinking the Heatkiller IV Pro.

- I wanted to get the Phanteks D140 Distribution plate and put it in the back as did this guy:
https://i.redd.it/qf0jmspx7sd41.jpg

- I am thinking of getting another XR5 360mm Rad, is it worth it? I was going to mount one on the front of the case and one on the bottom. The case has a Inlet on the top to fill and a outlet on the front bottom to drain the loop.

- I am a bit lost on what GPU block to get as I have a EVGA FTW3 Ultra Gaming but I cannot find any blocks compatable (For sale) right now

- I need tubing. I am not sure if I should just go Clear Hard tubing or not. I am a bit cautious about all the horror stories about leaks vs soft tubing but I do want my build to look nice.

- I also need fittings. I have none left. I am not sure where to start.

- The look I was going for was a white build (Despite the black case) I wanted to use White liquid and I will probably order some PSU cables as the cheap ones I got from Ebuyer are too long and I can't fit them in the back of the case (Due to all the fans I have, starting to regret RGB now!!!)

I have a budget of around £600, £700 at the maximum.

Any suggestions, help, maybe pushing me in a different direction is fully welcomed and I thank you in advanced!

PC Specs:

i9-9900k
Noctua NH-U12A
Asrock Taichi Ultimate
EVGA 2080TI FTW3 Ultra
970 Pro NVME

 

[rubix_1011]

I thought you had a faulty pump? Maybe I am confused?

The Corsair pump uses a Laing D5 which is one of the most reliable and bullet-proof pumps for watercooling out there, provided you didn't run it without coolant. Can you clarify the 'faulty pump' part?

How do you lose that much money worth of fittings and tubing? That could be upwards of several hundred dollars, depending on what fittings and how many. If you took everything apart and put it back into the boxes and pushed it under your bed...it should all still be there. Correct?

Can you get another 360 rad? Sure, if you want. It will need fittings, so don't forget them.

For GPU block, did you check https://www.ekwb.com/configurator ? EVGA cards are usually reference PCB layout, so typically there are multiples for these. Assuming I entered your card correctly, there might be 4 different blocks available, but I don't know the exact SKU.

Why do you need a new CPU block instead of the Corsair Hydro-X one? (nevermind, lost parts of that too...........?)

You want a distro plate. OK. So buy it. Also needs fittings.

Sounds like soft tubing is likely your better choice, especially if this is your first build...it can simplify the process.
If watercooling is going to be your thing, I would highly recommend working on keeping things accounted for and maintained. Seems like there is a good deal of struggle with both of these when it comes to keeping tabs on your PC parts. Watercooling (while very fun and rewarding) isn't a build-and-forget-it-forever solution like air or AIO coolers (even they need to have dust cleaned out regularly).

 

[Adam Georgeson]

I thought you had a faulty pump? Maybe I am confused?

The Corsair pump uses a Laing D5 which is one of the most reliable and bullet-proof pumps for watercooling out there, provided you didn't run it without coolant. Can you clarify the 'faulty pump' part?

How do you lose that much money worth of fittings and tubing? That could be upwards of several hundred dollars, depending on what fittings and how many. If you took everything apart and put it back into the boxes and pushed it under your bed...it should all still be there. Correct?

Can you get another 360 rad? Sure, if you want. It will need fittings, so don't forget them.

For GPU block, did you check https://www.ekwb.com/configurator ? EVGA cards are usually reference PCB layout, so typically there are multiples for these. Assuming I entered your card correctly, there might be 4 different blocks available, but I don't know the exact SKU.

Why do you need a new CPU block instead of the Corsair Hydro-X one? (nevermind, lost parts of that too...........?)

You want a distro plate. OK. So buy it. Also needs fittings.

Sounds like soft tubing is likely your better choice, especially if this is your first build...it can simplify the process.
If watercooling is going to be your thing, I would highly recommend working on keeping things accounted for and maintained. Seems like there is a good deal of struggle with both of these when it comes to keeping tabs on your PC parts. Watercooling (while very fun and rewarding) isn't a build-and-forget-it-forever solution like air or AIO coolers (even they need to have dust cleaned out regularly).

The pump that was faulty had been replaced by the supplier so I have a brand new one in a box unopened.

After I failed with the first watercooling I ended up putting all the fittings (I only bought 8 which was just enough according to the Corsair Watercool configuration for my basic WC build) in a box which was put under my bed.

When I got my new case I got rid of a lot of random screws and parts that I no longer use/need/have any idea what they are for and cleaned out.

I am missing the back plate for the Hydro-X CPU block and find it incredibly difficult to find a replacement anywhere.

 

[Gmoney06ss]

For the block contact corsair directly. They should help you get a new one, likely for little cost. Why buy a new block when nothing is wrong with the current block.

A second 360mm rad is definitely a good idea when cooling both cpu and gpu. If you cany find a block from ek or similar, look at evga. They have one since they do sell an ftw3 hydro copper edition.

Soft tubing is easier and when done right still looks great, and with a distro plate minimizing bends, should look just fine.

Fittings. I have xspc fittings and like them. Fairly affordable and come in a few colors, not sure if white is one of them.

You may also consider white tubing, as any solid colored coolant, like white can fallout and clog if not regularly maintained. If you use white tubing, coolant will be cheaper as well. The cost difference between clear and white tubing is negligible, maybe a few cents per foot.

 

[EndEffeKt_24]

I am also a bit baffled by the "I just lost half the stuff"- part. Money does not seem to be one of your issues.
I got a soft tubing build and even in a case that has no windows I wanted it to look professional. The EK ZMT tubing in black looks nice and is rather easy to bend without kinking. I would take 10/16 looks massive, but does not kink due to thick walls. If you feel crafty you could even do a custom sleeving for the tubes. And do yourself a favor. Even if you get clear hard tubes...just use clear coolant. You will thank us later.

Cheers